Winter is here! ❄️ As the season shifts, some animals stick around, while others continue on to their preferred wintering grounds. Have you spotted any winter wildlife yet? I definitely have!! The snow that we have gotten in the area, however short lived, gave me a clue as to what wildlife has been sneaking around the property. I cannot wait for the next snow to come so I can explore more!
When it snows on the prairie it is breathtaking. I can see the storm rolling in and the snow creating a hazy horizon before the flurries appear. The first snowstorm in the area came January 4th of this year, and I was so excited to see what the prairie would look like! I also was excited to spot the bison herd because I have seen photos of bison with the snow sitting on top of their coats, creating a dusty layer of white. I kept looking out into the prairie behind the bunkhouse/dormitory hoping to view the herd or one of the wandering bulls, but I did not have any luck till the afternoon. I could see the herd in the pasture with white on their backs. So cool! I got another chance to see the snow accumulate on the backs of the bison a couple of days later when there was a short snow fall in the afternoon. There were some bison in the corral system which they have access to come in and out of for water. I went for a walk and decided to take a peak through the hay bales to see the bison without disrupting them or spooking them. It was truly an awesome experience. Snow was quickly accumulating on their backs while they were drinking from the water tanks and moving freely about the corral system.
Speaking of bison, our annual work up was completed in early December 2024. This was the first time that I ever participated in a work up and it was a truly great experience. Everyone on the crew was extremely helpful and were always willing to answer any questions I had. I worked on the front end of the corral system which meant I was up by the squeeze chute portion of the corral to assist with collection of fecal samples from calves, body condition scores, weight, and tail hair collection for genetic testing. I also got to help out on one of the gates in the lead up alley just before the squeeze chute too! During the work up 41 calves got their ear tags (numbers, ie. 2404) and their electronic identification tag. The dual tags allow us to identify the individual if the ear tag comes out. In total we had around 160 bison come through the system. This does not represent the whole herd that we have because not every individual needs to go through work up, especially the mature bulls. We sorted out 22 yearling heifers, 23 yearling bulls, and 1 two-year-old bull for our annual sale. These 46 bison went to three different herds. Two herds are located here in Nebraska, and the other herd is located in Ohio. Overall, my first bison workup was an amazing experience. If you want to learn more about the bison work up read Matt Urbanski’s Blog Post (2023).
Photos taken by Matt Urbanski (Marketing Coordinator)
Wildlife other than the bison herd have been hanging out on the Crane Trust property too! There have been Ring-necked pheasants that cross the road and pop out of the tall grasses, and Northern harriers that glide over and skim the tall grasses before dropping down to catch their prey. I even saw one sitting on a fence post enjoying its catch of the day. Bald eagles have also made their presence known. When checking the river camera I have seen at least one individual most days and around 4-6 individuals one time. The majority of the Bald Eagles seen tend to be immature but there are a few adult individuals that visit and fly by. Of course I cannot forget the Sandhill Cranes that are sticking around this winter so far. It astonishes me just how many individuals are staying this far into the colder months. In December there were estimated to be anywhere between 17,000 – 25,000 Sandhill Cranes, and now in January it is estimated there are between 10,000 – 15,000 Sandhill Cranes in the area. Even with the current cold temperatures that were in the negatives, the Sandhill Cranes are sticking around so far. Everyday I get serenaded by the Sandhills on the river/in the area. The cranes are really loud on full moon nights too! Some other birds that are sticking around are American tree sparrows. They were digging around in the snow when we got the afternoon shower. They let me sneak close enough to get a couple pictures! Northern bobwhite quail are scurrying from one clump of grass to the next to evade detection. One group though was unbothered by the truck so it was the perfect photo opportunity. We did have one unique visitor too. On the property we found a female Long-tailed duck! They are typically not found this far south and stick more towards the Canada/U.S. border and up in the Northeastern United States. One last notable species that we have seen is the Greater Prairie Chicken (GRPC). We are just starting up surveys of the GRPC population on Mormon Island and I am excited to see more behaviors from the GRPC as the survey season continues.
All in all these winter months so far have been exciting for me. It has been awesome to see all the wildlife moving about, and having the Sandhill Cranes nearby. Winter in the prairie is truly an amazing experience!
Thanks for reading!
Emma Richards
Lila O. Wilson Biological Monitoring Fellow
erichards@cranetrust.org